Crawfish, crawdads, mudbugs, freshwater lobsters...whatever you call them, these little crustaceans are delicious and back in season. Lucky for you, there are countless ways to get your fill of these little guys during their peak.
 

The popular 14th Street bar will be hosting its annual crawfish boil on April 23rd. Guests can expect Louisiana-style crawfish served with southern sides like corn on the cob, roasted potatoes, house-smoked sausage, coleslaw, fritters, potato salad, roasted gator, and the ever-popular Addie’s rolls stuffed with BBQ pork. If that isn’t enough to tempt you, there will also be a build your own s’mores bar for dessert. Diners can choose from food-inclusive tickets for $50 or drink-inclusive tickets for $70 (beverages include Shiner Bock, Hurricanes, and house wine). Tickets are available for two-hour seatings: Noon–2 PM or 2:30–4:30 PM. (1612 14th St, NW; 202-319-1612)

 

You can find crawfish in a number of the upscale Louisiana-style restaurant’s menus such as the Louisiana Crawfish Etouffee, Seafood Chopped Salad, and Louisiana Seafood Gumbo. (901 New York Ave, NW; 202-408-8848)
 

David Guas’ New Orleans-style cafe and bakery offers different crawfish dishes in the DC and Arlington locations. In the district, you’ll find the Crawfish Monica on the dinner menu: crawfish, housemade pappardelle, creole cream sauce, and local mushrooms. At the Arlington location, you’ll find crawfish on the daily supper plates. Wednesday’s plate is a Seared Louisiana Crawfish Cake Sammy with Crystal Hot Sauce aioli on a sesame crusted potato roll. DC: (901 Pennsylvania Ave, SE; 202-664-5307); Arlington: (1515 N Courthouse Rd; 703-243-2410)
 

The Cajun-Asian fusion restaurant serves up Crawfish Etouffee, Crawfish Po Boy, and Crawfish Mac ‘n Cheese...or diners can get messy and choose whole crawfish. It comes in a bag, with your choice of sauce and spice level. Bonus: Order the Bloody Mary and you can get a crawfish as a garnish. (2404 University Blvd, Silver Spring; 240-833-3428)
 

With two locations in Virginia, Chasin’ Tails makes crawfish backyard boils accessible to everyone. What you get: Bayou N’ a Bag where you choose your “catch” (go for the crawfish, obviously) then choose one of four different styles to sautee the little crustaceans with and the heat level. Also on the menu are Crawfish Etouffee and Crawfish Mac ‘n Cheese. Arlington: (2200 N Westmoreland St; 703-538-2565); Centreville: (5815 Trinity Parkway; 571-351-1270)

Hot N Juicy Crawfish
With “Crawfish” in its name, you can rest assured that the hands-on Cajun restaurant serves up plenty of them. It’s pretty straightforward here: Choose your seasoning, select your spice level, and add in your favorite seafood - in addition to crawfish, there’s also king crab, blue crab, lobster, clams, and shrimp. (2651 Connecticut Ave, NW; 202-299-9448)

Photo via Flickr user lsgcp